When the season began, Alabama was ranked #5 and big things were expected as Nick Saban has resurrected one of college football's biggest programs. Since then the Tide have rolled off eight wins and jumped into a two-way melee with SEC rival, Florida.

No single player has meant more for this team than their Sophomore running back, Mark Ingram.

After compiling over seven hundred yards over the season last year, the tailback has over one thousand already, including nearly 250 against a ranked South Carolina squad.

In addition to his eight touchdowns on the ground, he has another three in the air. All this scoring has come at the expense of only one turnover - a near costly one against Tennessee.

However, is the nation's third leading rusher deserving of the Heisman?

I say no for one simple reason. Alabama would have one those games with any decent athlete in the back field. There defense is nasty - allowing double digit scoring only 4 times (24 to Virginia Tech in the opener, 14 to FIU in garbage time, 20 to Kentucky, and 10 to Tennessee).

Ingram is an excellent player, but not the one driving his team to a #2 ranking an SEC West Title. Clausen is the sole thing keeping Notre Dame in the polls as you can ask any Notre Dame fan that has seen a defense allow countless big play after big play.

Alabama however has a huge match-up against LSU this weekend - a showdown for the SEC West title and a chance to play Florida for the conference championship and a shot at the BCS National Championship. Against a steadily improving Tiger defense, it will be interesting to see which Ingram shows up: the 10 yards per carry Ingram against South Carolina or the tailback who failed to get even 100 against Tennessee. His Heisman hopes rest upon a good performance.